VOA词汇掌故2022--Inside Baseball, Other 'Inside' Expressions

Inside Baseball, Other 'Inside' Expressions

And now Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

Today we go out to the ballpark ... the baseball park!

We talk about an expression from the sport of baseball but now means so much more.

Inside baseball is something that is known or understood only by a small group of people. Sometimes inside baseball describes a subject that has too many uninteresting details. So, most people do not understand it or even want to understand it.

We commonly use this expression with subjects like politics, science, or finance².

For example, some urban voters are not interested in the inside baseball of constitutional reform. But, they still might support reforms promising³ good schools, safe neighborhoods, and jobs.

Here is another example. Many people would consider the yearly⁴ earnings⁵ reports of major companies as inside baseball information. The reports would not be of interest to them. But to investors⁶ such reports are important. These insiders need the information.

On its website, Merriam Webster online dictionary explains how this phrase began back in the 1890s.

To score in baseball, a player needs to land on first, second, and third bases before reaching home plate. That is where the player scores. One way to do this is to hit a home run. The player hits the ball so far that the other team cannot get it. Then, the batter⁷ and anyone else on a base moves forward all the way to home. That big hit will always please the crowd!

But most hits are not home runs. Most batters⁸ hit balls inside the field and move around the bases as other batters take their turns hitting.

This can include also very short hits called bunts, where the bat touches the ball lightly to keep it infield. There are also stolen bases -- when runners take a next base usually as the other team is pitching to a batter.

These are part of a long list of skills, tools, and possible plays used to play competitive⁹ baseball. This kind of play is called inside baseball. It is not an obvious type of scoring, especially when compared the dramatic¹⁰ homerun.

"Inside" is also featured in other popular terms in American English.

An inside joke, for example, is a joke that only a few people understand. With inside jokes, we often say this to those who don't understand: "You had to be there."

Insider knowledge is also things understood by a special few. Let's say you want to work at a company and you have insider knowledge about it. Maybe you know people who work there or their product line. This insider knowledge may give you an advantage over others.

An inside track is a good position in a situation. It comes from racers on a circular¹¹ track. The runners on the inside may have an advantage. Here's how to use it: She seems to have an inside track at the university. She knows everyone!

And finally, an inside job is something done with the help of someone inside an organization. The term, however, is usually used in connection with a crime. If police think a bank robbery¹² was an inside job, for example, they would probably question all who work at the bank.

And that's all the time we have this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

bunt – n./v. to push or tap (a baseball) lightly with a bat without swinging

infield – n. the area of a baseball field enclosed¹³ by the three bases and home plate

obvious – adj. easily discovered, seen, or understood

dramatic – adj. striking in appearance or effect

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 finance   

n.财务管理，财政，金融，财源，资金

参考例句：

• She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
• A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

4 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

5 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

8 batters   

n.面糊（煎料）( batter的名词复数 )；面糊（用于做糕饼）；（ 棒球） 正在击球的球员；击球员v.连续猛击( batter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pitcher has beaned as many as three batters in this game. 在这？热？投手投球竟打中了三个击手的头。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A storm batters the ship. 一场风暴袭击了这条船。 来自辞典例句

9 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

10 dramatic   

adj.引人注目的；戏剧的；演戏的

参考例句：

• She plays a very dramatic woman with flashing eyes.她饰演一位双眼闪光的引人注目的妇人。
• His speech was dramatic.他的演说激动人心。

11 circular   

adj.圆(形)的，环形的；循环的；n.传单，通报

参考例句：

• The bright boy altered it to a circular form.这个聪明的男孩把它改成了圆形。
• The lamp stands on a circular base.这盏台灯是装在圆形底座上的。

12 robbery   

n.抢劫；抢劫案

参考例句：

• A man is being questioned in connection with the robbery.一名男子就那起抢劫案接受查问。
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

13 enclosed   

adj.被附上的；（用墙等）围住的；封闭的；与外界隔绝的v.（用墙、篱笆等）把…围起来( enclose的过去式和过去分词 )；把…装入信封；附入；（尤指墙、篱笆等 ）围住

参考例句：

• The yard had been enclosed with iron railings. 院子用铁栅栏围了起来。
• Do not use this substance in an enclosed space. 切勿在不透气的地方使用此物质。